WO1984004842A1 - Tape recording and reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Tape recording and reproducing apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1984004842A1
WO1984004842A1 PCT/GB1984/000184 GB8400184W WO8404842A1 WO 1984004842 A1 WO1984004842 A1 WO 1984004842A1 GB 8400184 W GB8400184 W GB 8400184W WO 8404842 A1 WO8404842 A1 WO 8404842A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
tape
head
gap
cassette
head gap
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB1984/000184
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
David Connor Southward
Original Assignee
Sinclair Res Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sinclair Res Ltd filed Critical Sinclair Res Ltd
Publication of WO1984004842A1 publication Critical patent/WO1984004842A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B5/00—Recording by magnetisation or demagnetisation of a record carrier; Reproducing by magnetic means; Record carriers therefor
    • G11B5/10—Structure or manufacture of housings or shields for heads
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B15/00—Driving, starting or stopping record carriers of filamentary or web form; Driving both such record carriers and heads; Guiding such record carriers or containers therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function
    • G11B15/60—Guiding record carrier
    • G11B15/62—Maintaining desired spacing between record carrier and head
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B15/00—Driving, starting or stopping record carriers of filamentary or web form; Driving both such record carriers and heads; Guiding such record carriers or containers therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function
    • G11B15/675—Guiding containers, e.g. loading, ejecting cassettes
    • G11B15/6751—Guiding containers, e.g. loading, ejecting cassettes with movement of the cassette parallel to its main side, i.e. front loading

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to tape recording and reproducing apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus which uses a cartridge or cassette.
  • the present invention proyides tape recording and reproducing apparatus including a magnetic transducer head assembly provided with tape guide members arranged to contact the bottom edge of a magnetic tape upstream and downstream of the head gap.
  • the head assembly is fixed in position on a base which is provided with biasing members for biasing a cassette towards the tapes guides.
  • the arrangement is such that in use and when the cassette is in position, the bottom surfaces of the tape guide members abut the inner surface of the bottom of the cassette while the tape itself is guided by the upper surfaces of the tape guide members.
  • an upper tape guide member is provided upstream of the head gap so as to limit vertical movement of the tape in use.
  • This arrangement requires that the tape guide members be accurately positioned with respect fc ⁇ the head gap to ensure that the tape moves at right angles to the head gap across the transducing head assembly.
  • the guide members are provided on side plates which have extensions for engaging the base of the apparatus and the head assembly is fixed in position by means of resilient members extending on either side of the head assembly to ensure that when in position the head gap disposition remains unaltered due to the fixing.
  • Figure 2 shows a side view of a transducing head assembly used with the apparatus shown in Figure 1;
  • Figure 3 shows a plan view of the head assembly shown in Figure 2.
  • the preferred form of tape recording and reproducing apparatus is partially shown in Figure 1 and comprises a transducing head assembly 10 fixedly attached to a base member 11.
  • a tape cassette (part of which is shown in broken lines) is arranged to be inserted into the apparatu in the direction of arrow A and when in position, the head assembly 10 contacts the magnetic tape.
  • a tape drive rolle 12 engages at a point on one side of the cassette and uses a roller in the cassette as the co-operating pinch roller.
  • a pawl member 17 is provided on a resilient arm 19, one end 20 of which is fixed and the other end 21 is arranged to abut the cassette body when the cassette is in position.
  • the pawl member engages a ratchet (not shown) on the drive roller 12 to prevent rotation of the roller 12 until the cassette is in position whereupon the end 21 abuts the cassette body and is pushed back by the cassette body to release the pawl member 17 from the ratchet and permit free rotation of the roller under the action of the motor.
  • the cassette is retained in position with the tape in contact with the transducing head and is biased towards the drive roller 12 by an angled surface 13 and a leaf spring 14 as well as a protrusion 15 arranged to co-operat with a mating surface on the side of the cassette.
  • Two posts 22 limit movement of the cassette in the direction of the arrow A and two spring loaded members 23 urge the " * T
  • tape guide members 25 are provided up ⁇ stream and downstream of the head gap or gaps of the head assembly 10.
  • the upper surfaces 25 are arranged to engage 5 and guide the lower edge of the tape.
  • the lower surfaces 25b of the tape guide members 25 are arranged to abut the internal surface of the lower member of the cassette body due to the action of the resilient members 23 urging the cassette body upwards against them.
  • the resilient members 23 are formed as spring loaded ramps so that the bottom surfaces of the lower guide members 25 reference the cassette body with respect to the head gap while the upper surfaces 25a of the tape guides cause the tape to move across the head gap at right angles .there
  • tape guide 26 located upstream of the head gap and whose lower surface 26a is arranged to abut the upper edge of -th tape to limit vertical movement of the tape across the hea gap
  • each of the tape guides 25 provided on a separate member 28 which is each separately positioned with respect to the head gap before being welded in position.
  • each of the members provided with the tape guides 25 is also provided with dow wardly projecting extensions 30 which form legs for suppor
  • the assembly 10 is the fixed to the base by means of resilient extensions 31 shown in Figure 3 *
  • the provision of the resilient extensions ensures that no alteration in the disposition of the head gap occurs when the head assembly is fixed to the base of the apparatus. From the above description, it will be appreciated that the only movable member is in fact the cassette; the head assembly is fixed. Further, and in contrast with the prior art the head assembly is not on a movable frame and because of that the accuracy with which the head gap can be positioned is improved with a consequent improvement in the signal reproduction.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Adjustment Of The Magnetic Head Position Track Following On Tapes (AREA)

Abstract

A magnetic tape recording and reproducing apparatus comprising a magnetic head having a head gap and provided with tape guides (25) upstream and downstream of the head gap to constrain passage of tape past the head gap to be at a predetermined angle to the gap, the head being mounted on a base member provided with resilient biasing means (31) for biasing a cassette housing the magnetic tape in a direction so that the tape guides (25) contact the cassette body with one of surfaces while another surface of each tape guide contacts one edge of the tape.

Description

TAPE RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS
The present invention relates to tape recording and reproducing apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus which uses a cartridge or cassette.
In.conventional cassette-type tape recording and reproducing apparatus it is customary for the cassette to be loaded into the apparatus and fixed in position and then for the head assembly to be moved relative to the cassette into an operative position with the transducing head in engagement with the tape. It is known that in order to accurately record and reproduce signals the gap in the magnetic circuit of the transducing head has to be at right angles to the direction of movement of the tape and in conventional apparatus this is done by means of an adjusting screw provided on one fixing mount for the head assembly. Rotation of the screw causes the head assembly to tilt about the other mounting point until it is determined that the head gap is at right angles to the theoretical path of movement of the tape. For conventional tape recorders this is an exceptable technique due primarily to the fact that the width of the tape is relatively substantial and the tape is itself moving quite slowly. However, for mass storage of data such as is required for a computer it is necessary to run the tape at very high speeds and this makes accurate location of the head gap at right angles to the tape critical especially when one considers that data recorded on the tape oy one machine will more than likely have to be replayed on a different machine. For accurately reproducable results it is necessary to ensure that the disposition of the head gap relative to the direction of the tape is accurately and reproducably defined.'
The present invention proyides tape recording and reproducing apparatus including a magnetic transducer head assembly provided with tape guide members arranged to contact the bottom edge of a magnetic tape upstream and downstream of the head gap. The head assembly is fixed in position on a base which is provided with biasing members for biasing a cassette towards the tapes guides. The arrangement is such that in use and when the cassette is in position, the bottom surfaces of the tape guide members abut the inner surface of the bottom of the cassette while the tape itself is guided by the upper surfaces of the tape guide members.
Preferably an upper tape guide member is provided upstream of the head gap so as to limit vertical movement of the tape in use.
This arrangement requires that the tape guide members be accurately positioned with respect fcό the head gap to ensure that the tape moves at right angles to the head gap across the transducing head assembly.
Advantageously, the guide members are provided on side plates which have extensions for engaging the base of the apparatus and the head assembly is fixed in position by means of resilient members extending on either side of the head assembly to ensure that when in position the head gap disposition remains unaltered due to the fixing. Features and advantages of the present invention
OMPI ^iϊNATi - 3 -
will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example in which:- Figure 1 shows a plan view of a portion of tape recording and reproducing apparatus according to the present invention;
Figure 2 shows a side view of a transducing head assembly used with the apparatus shown in Figure 1; and
Figure 3 shows a plan view of the head assembly shown in Figure 2. The preferred form of tape recording and reproducing apparatus is partially shown in Figure 1 and comprises a transducing head assembly 10 fixedly attached to a base member 11. A tape cassette (part of which is shown in broken lines) is arranged to be inserted into the apparatu in the direction of arrow A and when in position, the head assembly 10 contacts the magnetic tape. A tape drive rolle 12 engages at a point on one side of the cassette and uses a roller in the cassette as the co-operating pinch roller. A pawl member 17 is provided on a resilient arm 19, one end 20 of which is fixed and the other end 21 is arranged to abut the cassette body when the cassette is in position. The result is that when the cassette is pushed into the apparatus in the direction of the arrow A, the pawl member engages a ratchet (not shown) on the drive roller 12 to prevent rotation of the roller 12 until the cassette is in position whereupon the end 21 abuts the cassette body and is pushed back by the cassette body to release the pawl member 17 from the ratchet and permit free rotation of the roller under the action of the motor.
The cassette is retained in position with the tape in contact with the transducing head and is biased towards the drive roller 12 by an angled surface 13 and a leaf spring 14 as well as a protrusion 15 arranged to co-operat with a mating surface on the side of the cassette. Two posts 22 limit movement of the cassette in the direction of the arrow A and two spring loaded members 23 urge the " * T
inward end of the cassette upwards. As will be best seen in Figures 2 and 3, tape guide members 25 are provided up¬ stream and downstream of the head gap or gaps of the head assembly 10. The upper surfaces 25 are arranged to engage 5 and guide the lower edge of the tape. The lower surfaces 25b of the tape guide members 25 are arranged to abut the internal surface of the lower member of the cassette body due to the action of the resilient members 23 urging the cassette body upwards against them.
10 The resilient members 23 are formed as spring loaded ramps so that the bottom surfaces of the lower guide members 25 reference the cassette body with respect to the head gap while the upper surfaces 25a of the tape guides cause the tape to move across the head gap at right angles .there
15 As is best seen in from Figure 2, there is a further, tape guide 26 located upstream of the head gap and whose lower surface 26a is arranged to abut the upper edge of -th tape to limit vertical movement of the tape across the hea gap,
20 Although the cassette is referenced to the head gap means of the guide members 25, it is still convenient to ensure that as far as possible the head gap is at right angles to the base of the apparatus since this eases assembly. In order to achieve this, the tape guides have
25 to be accurately located on either side of the transducing head gap very accurately. This is done by having each of the tape guides 25 provided on a separate member 28 which is each separately positioned with respect to the head gap before being welded in position. The weld points
30. are shown in Figure 2 and are indicated by the reference numerals 29. Further, in order to ensure that the head ga is at right angles to the base member each of the members provided with the tape guides 25 is also provided with dow wardly projecting extensions 30 which form legs for suppor
35 ing the head assembly on the base. The assembly 10 is the fixed to the base by means of resilient extensions 31 shown in Figure 3* The provision of the resilient extensions ensures that no alteration in the disposition of the head gap occurs when the head assembly is fixed to the base of the apparatus. From the above description, it will be appreciated that the only movable member is in fact the cassette; the head assembly is fixed. Further, and in contrast with the prior art the head assembly is not on a movable frame and because of that the accuracy with which the head gap can be positioned is improved with a consequent improvement in the signal reproduction.
OMPI
^ Λ?

Claims

CLAIMS:
1. A magnetic tape recording and reproducing apparatus comprising a magnetic head having a head gap and provided with tape guides upstream and downstream of the head gap to constrain passage of tape past the head gap to be at a predetermined angle to the gap, the head being mounted on a base member provided with resilient biasing means for biasing a cassette housing the magnetic tape in a direction so that the tape guides contract the cassette body with one of surfaces while another surface of each tape guide contacts one edge of the tape.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 and comprising a further tape guide upstream of the head gap and arranged to contact the the other edge of the tape.
PCT/GB1984/000184 1983-05-27 1984-05-25 Tape recording and reproducing apparatus WO1984004842A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB838314688A GB8314688D0 (en) 1983-05-27 1983-05-27 Tape recording and reproducing apparatus

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1984004842A1 true WO1984004842A1 (en) 1984-12-06

Family

ID=10543462

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB1984/000184 WO1984004842A1 (en) 1983-05-27 1984-05-25 Tape recording and reproducing apparatus

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0151129A1 (en)
AU (1) AU2969084A (en)
GB (1) GB8314688D0 (en)
WO (1) WO1984004842A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1995001635A1 (en) * 1993-06-30 1995-01-12 M4 Data Limited Tape drive machines

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2226722A1 (en) * 1973-04-18 1974-11-15 Uher Werke Muenchen
GB1381490A (en) * 1971-06-23 1975-01-22 Staar Sa Cassette recording and or reproduction apparatus
EP0063398A1 (en) * 1981-04-13 1982-10-27 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Magnetic-tape cassette apparatus and magnetic-head unit for use in conjunction with such apparatus
EP0087997A1 (en) * 1982-02-26 1983-09-07 Compagnie Europeenne De Composants Electroniques Lcc Magnetical reproducing and/or recording device

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1381490A (en) * 1971-06-23 1975-01-22 Staar Sa Cassette recording and or reproduction apparatus
FR2226722A1 (en) * 1973-04-18 1974-11-15 Uher Werke Muenchen
EP0063398A1 (en) * 1981-04-13 1982-10-27 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Magnetic-tape cassette apparatus and magnetic-head unit for use in conjunction with such apparatus
EP0087997A1 (en) * 1982-02-26 1983-09-07 Compagnie Europeenne De Composants Electroniques Lcc Magnetical reproducing and/or recording device

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1995001635A1 (en) * 1993-06-30 1995-01-12 M4 Data Limited Tape drive machines

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8314688D0 (en) 1983-07-06
EP0151129A1 (en) 1985-08-14
AU2969084A (en) 1984-12-18

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Designated state(s): AT BE CH DE FR GB LU NL SE

CFP Corrected version of a pamphlet front page
CR1 Correction of entry in section i

Free format text: IN PAT.BUL.28/84,UNDER INID (51) IPC 3 REPLACE G11B 11/60 G11B 5/48 BY G11B 15/60 G11B 5/48